Boosting solar cell efficiency: Engineers design new optical element to sort sunlight
Wednesday, June 11, 2014 - 06:00
in Physics & Chemistry
(Phys.org) —University of Utah electrical engineers have designed a thin layer made of a transparent plastic or glass that sorts and concentrates sunlight to boost the overall efficiency of solar cells by up to 50 percent. This layer, called a polychromat, can be integrated into the cover glass of a solar panel. It could also be used to boost power efficiency in a cellphone or improve low light conditions for a camera.